A bristle of said type and a method of said type are known from German Offenlegungsschrift DE 196 45 852 A1. This specification contains a description of a monofilament having a non-circular cross section. Subsequent to being extruded the monofilament is twisted about its longitudinal axis and fixed with the aid of chemical agents. This results in a three-dimensionally structured surface which produces a better cleaning effect, particularly when removing plaque.
From German Offenlegungsschrift DE 196 40 853 A1 there is known a bristle for a toothbrush, being comprised of plastic and having several interconnected filaments. Said filaments are wound or braided and joined together with the aid of chemical agents. At the free end of the bristle manufactured from these filaments a fanning effect is accomplished by subjecting the free end of the bristle to a mechanical processing operation, for example.
It is also known to perform such fanning of the free end of a bristle in cases where a monofilament is involved. In this case it is necessary for the free end of the bristle to be processed by a cutting tool or the like.